To better understand the repercussions of this category (and labels in general), Parade consulted two child psychologists: Dr. Mary Beth DeWitt, the Chief of Child Psychology at Dayton Children's Hospital, and Dr. Erica Rozmid, a board-certified clinical psychologist specializing in evidence-based therapy for children, teens, young adults and their parents.
"As humans, we do like to categorize, and so a label can serve that purpose to help a parent put their child into a category," she says, adding, "But it inhibits the child’s actual full potential of who they are or may become."
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This Well-Meaning Label for Kids Can Be Detrimental, Child Psychologists Share
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"Often with good intent, we may indicate our kids are 'good,' but this could create high standards for the child to follow and could influence how they perceive themselves," Dr. DeWitt explains.
The "good" label also implies the existence of a "bad" label. Dr. Rozmid says this "can lead to further shame and blame when [kids] do something we consider 'bad,' like making a mistake, lying or even something that is developmentally appropriate."
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"Kids internalize labels really easily and absorb them as part of their identity, so parents should be very wary of using them," she adds.
"Even saying a child is 'extremely intelligent' can be hard if [or] when they get a C on a test," Dr. Rozmid says, adding that this label "can lead to all-or-nothing thinking, such as: 'I'm really smart, but if I get a C on a test, I must be dumb.'"
2. "Shy"
"You can say something like, 'I noticed you said hi to your classmate, and that was brave.' Or, 'Do you want mommy to stay with you until you say hi to your friend?'"
"I really don’t like labels of any kind," she says.
"This doesn't help them as much as you might think," she says.
4. "The Academic"
Similarly to the athlete label, telling your child that they're academic still puts them in a box—just a different one.
She offers alternatives to "the academic" label, like, "You worked so hard on that project—how do you feel?"
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What Parents Can Say To Encourage or Congratulate Their Kids Instead
Dr. Rozmid adds that she likes "to use objective adjectives to describe a behavior, not a trait of someone’s character."
Ultimately, she cautions against labels because they can "oversimplify a child and their many traits and gifts." Not putting them in a box—even a seemingly "good" box—is important. After all, as Dr. DeWitt says, "Parents are children's first teachers, and shape how kids come to view themselves."
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Dr. Mary Beth DeWitt is the Chief of Child Psychology at Dayton Children's Hospital.Dr. Erica Rozmid is a board-certified clinical psychologist specializing in evidence-based therapy for children, teens, young adults and their parents. She's also the founder of Clarity CBT and DBT Center in Los Angeles.Hence then, the article about this label that well meaning parents give to their kids can actually be detrimental child psychologists warn was published today ( ) and is available on Parade ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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